Everyone’s life story is unique, but some – as they say – are more unique than others, and Alice Coltrane’s life was as singular as you could ask for. Born in Detroit just before World War II, she first found her calling in its jazz scene, marrying one of the artform’s giants, John Coltrane. Honouring his name after his early death, she would soon develop a musical vision of her own, albeit underappreciated at the time; her last three decades on Earth were spent as a Hindu mystic and spiritual leader, largely away from the public eye.
That latter detail is likely a factor in Andy Beta’s Cosmic Music being the first ever biography of such a fascinating individual. A lot of Alice Coltrane’s creative and personal life has been lost to the ages, with the subject herself crossing over in 2007 and only a few of her jazz peers still with us. For much of his book, particularly when discussing Alice’s early life, Beta wallows in speculation: how might she have processed the major events of the day? Could a given incident have changed her life trajectory? It’s a relatable way of thinking, but I’m unsure it adds to the reader’s immersion.
The author, who says he stumbled across Alice’s superlative Journey In Satchidananda album during a jazz-curious spell in the late 90s, is stronger when assessing her discography. What he appears to lack in music-theory chops he makes up for in effusive, accessible turns of phrase, ceding the floor to learned interviewees when it’s necessary to explain how a piece was made or played. Beta is also deft in illuminating Alice’s changing critical fortunes and shifting public image. Jazz having no shortage of chauvinist pigs, her reputation among some as a meagre talent living off the legacy of a bona fide genius stuck for a long time. (Her more recent reevaluation, though justified, may have obscured this somewhat: any jazz fan younger than about 30 will have likely only encountered glowing praise.)
Alice’s guru years, where she took the name Swamini Turiyasangitananda, are recounted by a few surviving devotees in, quite literally, extraordinary detail. Her journey to guru status involves messages from God as revealed in visions; that status, once affirmed, bestowed on her the ability to heal the sick among other gifts. Beta, who does not proclaim any spiritual leanings of his own, has made the editorial decision to present all this as plain fact, which is perhaps the most respectful route but comes off as a little hollow.
The other issue with relying on Alice’s religious followers for a large part of her life story is that the last 100 pages of Cosmic Music become a hagiography, which may well genuinely reflect how her ashram viewed her but makes for a slightly queasy reading experience. Yet it’s a credit to both Andy Beta and Alice Coltrane that this bio has much to recommend it for all this.
